Do you see a black screen on Hulu when playing a movie or TV show?
Hulu is probably the closest thing to Netflix. They have a wide variety of popular shows from ABC, Fox, and NBC that you can watch right after they air on national TV. Hulu also has a growing catalog of originally produced series, which are also surprisingly good.
For around $6 a month, you can enjoy their service with a few ads that appear while watching your favorite shows on the platform.
While ads are tolerable considering the amount you pay, it pretty annoying if you are stuck with a black screen on Hulu. Based on what we’ve found out, ads that fail to load are the common cause of this issue on the platform.
However, it can also be related to your network connection, corrupted application files, or third party applications.
Whatever the case is, we’re here to help you out.
Today, we’re going to show you various ways to fix the black screen issue on Hulu.
Let’s get started!
1. Check Hulu Servers.
Since Hulu is an online streaming service, the first thing to check when it malfunctions is the servers. The app relies significantly on its servers to deliver content and features to the subscribers.
To check Hulu’s servers, you can use third-party sites like Downdetector, where you can view the current situation of the app and the issues it encountered.
If the servers are down, there’s usually nothing you can do but wait for their team to resolve the problem.
However, you can still perform the rest of the methods below and hope that one works. On the other hand, proceed to the following steps below if Hulu’s servers are working fine to address the issue on your end.
2. Check If You Have the ‘No Ads’ Plan.
If you are using a ‘No Ads’ account, the problem may lie with Hulu’s service. Instead of showing you ads, it pauses the video you’re playing and switches to a black screen for several seconds, which is quite annoying considering you are paying extra to remove the advertisements.
To fix this, please proceed to the last method below to call the attention of Hulu’s team and ask them to address the issue with your account.
3. Test By Watching Another Show.
Like any streaming service, Hulu shows can also experience temporary issues and become unavailable for a reasonable amount of time. If the black screen on Hulu appears after playing a show, go back to the media library and select a random title.
If the problem persists, the entire platform has an issue that needs to be addressed by their team.
On the other hand, report the problem to Hulu if particular shows are not playing on the app.
4. Re-Login to Your Hulu Account.
Your user account may have run into an error due to unexpected bugs and glitches on the platform. To fix this, you need to log out of your current session and re-access your account after several minutes.
On Android and iOS, check out the steps below to sign out your Hulu account:
- First, launch the Hulu app on your mobile device.
- After that, tap on your Profile icon at the bottom right corner of your display.
- Lastly, tap the Log Out button to close your current session.
For browser users, please follow the steps below to log out of your Hulu account:
- On your browser, access the Hulu website and wait for it to load.
- Now, point the mouse cursor to your Profile on the top left corner.
- Finally, click the Log Out button at the end of the drop-down menu.
If you are using other devices, please visit Hulu’s Help Center and look for the specific guidelines for your device.
5. Check and Reset Your Internet.
Network related issues can also be the reason for the black screen issue on Hulu. The platform requires an internet speed of 3 Mbps to watch movies from its library and 8 Mbps for live streams.
To check if your internet connection meets the required bandwidth, perform a test using Fast.com to measure your network’s current upload and download speed.
Restart your router if the test result shows that your network is running slow. Unplug your router’s power cable from the wall outlet and wait for 5 to 10 seconds before plugging it back in.
Once done, re-run the test to check if the problem with your network is solved. On the other hand, contact your ISP to report the issue or upgrade your current plan if it’s below the minimum speed required.
6. Turn Off VPN.
Virtual private networks or VPNs are third-party apps that protect your network from hackers and other entities. They work by changing your default IP address and filtering the data going out of your device.
However, not all VPNs work efficiently and could make your internet connection unstable. If this happens, your device may struggle to communicate with Hulu’s servers, explaining the black screen issue.
To fix this, turn off your VPN first before accessing Hulu. However, if you use VPNs to access Hulu outside the US, please visit our guide to help you out.
On the other hand, you can also try using other services such as PureVPN. Compared to other VPNs, it doesn’t interfere with your connection and works well with other applications.
7. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies.
Browsers store temporary data on your system, which are called caches and cookies. This data is utilized to load websites faster and improve your browser’s overall performance.
However, caches and cookies can get corrupted if they accumulate and cause problems to your browser.
To fix this, clear your browsing data to free up memory and eliminate corrupted files:
- First, launch your preferred browser and access its Settings.
- After that, click on Clear Browsing Data under Privacy and Settings.
- Now, click on the Time Range tab and select All Time from the drop-down menu.
- Lastly, include caches and cookies in the process and hit the Clear Data button.
Once done, go back to Hulu to check if the problem is solved.
8. Disable Browser Extensions.
Browser extensions could also be the culprit for the black screen issue on Hulu. Some websites like Hulu are not compatible with browser extensions and may not function as they would if they are enabled.
To fix this, follow the steps below to disable your browser extensions:
- First, open your browser and open its Settings tab.
- Next, click on the Extensions tab from the side drawer to manage your browser extensions.
- Lastly, disable all your browser extensions and restart your browser.
Go back to Hulu afterwards and check if the black screen issue would still occur while watching a movie or TV show.
9. Run Malwarebytes.
Your system could be infected by malware and viruses that causes other applications not to function normally. Viruses consume your bandwidth and system resources, making it difficult for Hulu to load the show you are trying to watch.
To fix this, download Malwarebytes on your device and run the full system scan feature. This will prompt the tool to search your entire storage for infected files and automatically remove them from your system.
10. Clear Hulu App Data (Android Devices).
If you are using an Android device, you can try clearing Hulu’s app data if it is not working correctly on your device. Some of its files may have gotten corrupted when the servers went down and caused the black screen issue on Hulu.
To clear Hulu’s app data, see the steps below:
- First, open the Settings app on your device and access the Apps tab.
- Locate Hulu from the list and tap its icon.
- Lastly, open the Storage tab and tap on Clear Data to eliminate corrupted data.
Restart the Hulu app afterwards and check if the problem is solved.
11. Update Hulu.
Updates are a vital part of every application to keep it running smoothly on the devices it supports. However, if you haven’t updated the Hulu app on your device, now is the time to do so.
On Android devices, you can update Hulu by doing the following:
- First, open the Google Play Store on your device and open the side menu by tapping the Menu button on the search bar.
- Now, tap on My Apps & Games to view the list of applications with pending updates.
- Lastly, locate Hulu from the list and tap the Update button beside it.
For iOS users, check out the steps below to update Hulu on your device:
- On your device, access the home screen and tap on the App Store.
- After that, tap on your Profile to access the list of apps with available updates.
- Find Hulu from the list and tap the Update button to start updating the app.
If you are using other devices, please visit the guides below to help you out:
- Fire TV and Fire Stick
- Apple TV 2nd and 3rd Generation
- Apple TV 4th Gen and Newer
- Nintendo Switch
- Roku
- Playstation 4
- Xbox One
Go back to Hulu afterwards and try playing another movie or TV show.
12. Update Your Device.
Your device may have an underlying issue related to video streaming that causes the black screen on Hulu. To fix this, check if your device has a pending software update from its manufacturer.
On Android, follow the guide below to update its software:
- First, go to your app drawer and access the Settings.
- Now, scroll down to the bottom and tap on About or About Phone.
- Lastly, tap Software Update and follow the on-screen prompts to update your device.
For iOS users, you can update your device by doing the following:
- On your home screen, tap on Settings and go to General.
- After that, open the Software Updates tab.
- Finally, tap on Download and Install to install the update.
If you are on a different system, visit one of the guides below to help you out:
- Fire TV and Fire Stick
- Apple TV 2nd and 3rd Generation
- Apple TV 4th Gen and Newer
- Nintendo Switch
- Roku
- Playstation 4
- Xbox One
After updating your system, relaunch the Hulu app and check if the problem is solved.
13. Reinstall Hulu.
If the update did not work, you could also try reinstalling the Hulu app on your device. Some installation files may have gotten corrupted when the servers went down or during a failed update.
On Android, you can uninstall Hulu by doing the following:
- First, open your device and locate Hulu on your app drawer.
- After that, press and hold its app icon to access the options menu.
- Lastly, tap on Uninstall to delete Hulu.
For iOS users, check out the guide below to delete Hulu:
- On your device, access the home screen and find the Hulu app.
- Now, tap and hold its app icon until the selection screen shows up.
- Finally, tap on Remove App to uninstall Hulu.
If you are using a different device, please check the following guides below to delete Hulu on your system:
Once done, reinstall the Hulu app on your device and check if the black screen issue is solved.
14. Report the Problem to Hulu.
If you still see a black screen on Hulu when playing a video or movie, your account may have an issue that needs attention from their team.
In this case, we recommend that you visit the Hulu Help Center and get in touch with their customer support. From there, elaborate on the problem that you’ve been experiencing and provide a screenshot if possible.
You can also visit the Hulu Community and try to ask your fellow users for possible solutions.
This brings us to the end of our guide in fixing the black screen issue on Hulu. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to help you out.
If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂
Black screen when I click on a video. Shows 0:07 at the top right and will not continue. I have no-ad Hulu.